


It was not a clan of warriors

by mus



Series: Clan lore [4]
Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Dragons, Gen, Mentions of Death, mentions of violence/gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 15:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5932606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mus/pseuds/mus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Balthazar's arrival to the clan.</p><p>Dragons in this fic:<br/><a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=982759">Balthazar</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=1266985">Rilo</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=1114237">Zacari</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=1210702">Tango</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=1049949">Ciiru</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=1070771">Zephir</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=1049950">Sam</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=2835321">Fighter</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=2647893">Damien</a> | <a href="http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=37230&tab=dragon&did=3538838">Shaiith</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	It was not a clan of warriors

Rilo had been watching over the newcomer silently, ever since the dark imperial had arrived a few days ago. Zacari, one of the patrolling guardians, had met the old dragon somewhere in the western edges of their territory, wandering in search of something he was determined to find even if he wasn't sure where to go. The chargeless had then led the imperial here, to the heart of the clan's home. Ciiru had questioned him briefly, and allowed him to stay.

Rilo had asked Zacari why the newcomer was here - not out of suspicion, but curiosity, and a little bit of worry for the older dragon. Something about him felt... off.

Balthazar his name was. He rested a lot, joined the hunters from time to time, walking after them with long, certain steps, but without saying a word to anyone unless spoken to. And even then he responded tersely, not carrying on a conversation, even though he didn't seem to mind the company.

Rilo saw the way Balthazar looked at the warriors returning home. The blood soaked laughing mirrors. The albeit physically weaker, still stern casters. The battered clan founders.

The scarred imperials.

Balthazar's whiskers twitched slightly at the sight of them, his whole body going tense when they sported new fresh wounds that would leave their mark on the scaly hides.

Being an imperial himself, Rilo had no difficulty understanding the others reactions. But there was still something in the other's behaviour, the look in his one seeing eye - the right one had been blinded due to an injury in the past - that left him wonder.

 ***

"As I mentioned earlier, I came here with the intention to train under the lead of an experienced warrior."

Zephir looked at the dark dragon carefully, calculating the situation. That was probably the most anyone had heard Balthazar speak on one go since his arrival. He turned to Ciiru, who seemed to have grasped the meaning behind the imperial's words even if she couldn't fully comprehend what he had said. Switching to the native language of coatls, the caster confirmed the presumption of the matriarch:

"He wants you to train him. I guess he expects you to say yes since you let him into the clan so quickly."

"I have no time to spare. If he was preparing to leave for a life under a deity, I would do it; it would be quickly over with, but he's clearly not here for that reason. He will be assigned to a new team he can train with if he wants to fight."

The imperial looked at Zephir expectantly. The pearlcatcher took a deep breath.

"You can train with some of the other novices. If you have preferences regarding what kind of team you would like to be part of, speak with Sam, Zacari's father. He readies the beginners for their first battles, and builds the teams."

Balthazar's face was as expressionless as ever as he bowed his head before his new leader and turned to leave.

 ***

"Tango", Rilo called out softly when he finally located the skydancer, lounging at a cliff, obviously enjoying the rare sunny day.

"Mmmmm yes, love?"

The imperial couldn't help but shake his head as he laughed gently at that. "I want to ask for a favour."

"And what would that favour be hm?" the 'dancer singsonged as he got up from his sunbathing spot and walked over to his friend.

"It's about Balthazar."

"The newcomer? What about him?"

"I wish to talk with him, but I think you would be better suited for that", Rilo said, pausing for a moment. "I feel he's like Zacari, Tango. He's wounded inside; I have an idea why it could be, but I may be just jumping into conclusions. Regardless, I don't think battling alone will help him overcome whatever happened to him. You are both shadowborn, maybe it'll help him open up."

Rilo didn't often come to the one known as the biggest prankster in the clan to talk like this. But Tango understood immediately Rilo's intent - the imperial was the mental support system for the entire clan, in case of wounds the others didn't know how to live with. Different kinds of wounds.

Both in their own ways they looked after those like Zacari, the chargeless one.

Tango's usual grin softened into a gentler, faint smile. "I'll see if he'd be up for a little chatter later today, then."

 ***

Balthazar was sitting alone in the night, gazing toward west. He was a little walk away from the heart of the clan's territory, where all others had gathered to rest, but it was easy to find his massive figure, especially for a shadow dragon such as Tango.

The skydancer didn't say anything as he approached, but stepped lively so that the other could hear him regardless.

Tango sat beside the imperial, minding the distance between them as not to get too close. And he looked at the horizon.

Somewhere there were Starfall Isles. Most shadowborns came from east, but considering Balthazar's apparent age it made sense that he had already traveled the world some.

"Didn't come here directly from the Tangled Wood like me, did you?"  the smaller dragon said after a while. He felt the imperial's indecipherable glance now upon himself.

"No."

"What was your old clan like, if I may be so curious?" Tango continued, now looking up to meet Balthazar's gaze. Or, so he intended. The imperial's eye seemed unfocused as he sighed deeply.

"It was not a clan of warriors."

There was sorrow in his voice. Regret.

"I apologize if I-"

"It's quite alright", Balthazar interrupted the 'dancer, "you didn't know. None of you know."

They were silent for some time. Tango wasn't sure if the imperial still wanted to say something, but as he waited he soon realized that the other was deep in thought, likely swamped with resurfaced memories.

After a moment Tango decided he should leave the other be for now, but he didn't get to take many steps back to the lairs.

"Would you stay here for a while? It's been long since I last really talked with anyone."

Tango looked at Balthazar with a smile on his face. "Of course."

 ***

"So, did you have any preferences about your to-be teammates?"

"I trust your experience."

"Well then", Sam replied, "let us begin. You will have a practise fight against me; it should give me an idea of your tendencies in combat. While you could train for something completely different, I've found the methods that come naturally are often far more effective. Reflexes are important, and having a base to build upon means you training will advance faster."

Balthazar simply nodded in acknowledgement, mentally preparing himself for the task.

Sam however didn't take long to initiate the match; the guardian charged at the novice, surprising Balthazar with his speed.

The imperial managed to dodge only partially, avoiding getting completely rammed but still getting a forceful bump to his left side. As Sam took a step back to prepare another attack, Balthazar lunged toward his neck.

The guardian took the hit as he flared his neck fins, and only gained a minor scratch on his scaly plating. The imperial quickly backed away, ready to bounce - either to dodge or strike.

Sam kept a careful eye on the other's movements, and charged again. His opponent tensed up and rushed out of the way, but the guardian had known to expect it. Sam slowed down only slightly, just enough to turn and throw his plated mass toward the other dragon yet again.

Balthazar avoided getting hit, backing off further. Sam noticed how he was concentrating on his challenger. The imperial rushed to another quick attack, this time going for the head were the scales were smaller and thinner.

He realized his mistake as Sam reared back, grabbing him by the neck and shoulders before he could retreat. Being notably heavier, the guardian easily forced the other down onto the ground.

Balthazar tried to wiggle away at first, but gave up momentarily. His short legs and small claws weren't suited for struggling against the brute strength of a guardian. As he relaxed he heard Sam speak:

"You move well for a beginner, but you'll need to keep track of your surroundings. Would this not have ended like this, I could've have cornered you soon enough as you focused solely on me in order to evade my attacks."

The guardian released Balthazar as he nodded again. The dark dragon got up on his feet, lightly shaking off dirt that had stuck to his mane.

"Given your limited vision you'll have to use your other senses to their full extent. Feel the ground under your feet", Sam said then. "Use your tail - and wings - not only for balance, but to make certain there's nothing behind or beside you as you move. You may also want to practise your hearing with Shaiith when you're not battling. She is remarkable at detecting not only the faintest of sounds, but also their direction. She has taught a few members of the clan before, with good results."

Balthazar didn't respond, but Sam saw from his look how intently he had listened.

"Unless you have something to ask, I'm finished with you for now. I'll need a some time to evaluate who you'd work with the best" the guardian said. "Meet me here at dusk, and I will introduce you to your new team."

 ***

"Did you see Balthazar leave with Damien and Fighter earlier, Rilo?"

"Yes, I did", the imperial replied as he lowered his head to allow Tango to give him a gentle headbutt in greeting. "And I was there when he met them the day before. He seemed almost excited, particularly after hearing that Ciiru herself had referred to the two as 'promising future warriors'."

"He did", Tango said, "I hope this will help him finding a peace of mind; it seemed to be so important to him."

 ***

_We were not a clan of warriors._

_We were a large clan, but we enjoyed little things, taking life as a constant stream of leisure. There was no trouble with beastclans on the area, even the closest known populations lived too far to bother us. Every once in awhile someone would leave to serve the Arcanist, or occasionally some of the other deities, but none bred for the sole purpose of providing warriors for Dominance. For us, it was something not to worry about. Fighting. We just wanted to live our lives... The day everything went wrong we were proved fragile that kind of life was._

_We were lucky to manage end the threat instantly, before_ it _could get stronger. The mauled corpses... corpse... was scattered in pieces that the sea creatures that populated the waters around that small island no doubt cleaned up down to bone._

_Despite quick efforts in ceasing the situation from the start, nearly half the clan died or wounded badly that day. And we were a large clan._

_Afterwards everyone slowly separated into wherever the winds took them. I personally haven't met anyone from my old clan since that day. And I prefer it that way. I want to keep it all in the past, and prepare myself, should anything similar happen ever again._

_It was not a clan of warriors. I was not a warrior. But I will be._

_I will be._

 ***

Damien had never seen a shadowborn so serious. Though, it no longer confused him. They had been hunting small fry monsters, but the dark imperial had fought unlike his two companions, who took it all as a game-like challenge. A few days had passed as they continued their scouting, and while there was a sense of companionship, Balthazar had expressed no emotion during the that time.

"I am glad to join with you for the training, given that Ciiru saw promise in you."

Fighter frowned slightly at that. "Doesn't it bother you having another imperial in your team?"

"Just two is fine", Balthazar stated absently. Then his eyes lit up, just a bit. "Besides, our fighting styles compliment each other. We'll make a good team."

From his perspective Damien couldn't see well, but he was almost sure that the old dragon smiled.

 


End file.
